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Luke 11:28 NASB :But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.”"It's one thing to know it and another to follow it! Today's Word is about not only hearing the Word but following it as well. It's Tuesday of Holy Week and many of us probably don't know what Jesus was doing so many years ago. He was returning to Jerusalem to face the Cross for you and me. Along the way, He passed a fig tree and.... you can read the rest of the story in His Word in Mark chapter 11. Jesus had heard the Word as a young Jewish boy and now He was following what it said. I can't help but think of the times my parents would tell me something important only to go my own way and end up in trouble. Looking back, I should have followed what they spoke to me - maybe it's time to follow the Word of God in life so we stay out of trouble - just saying! peace, tom
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Matthew 24:4 EVS "And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray." I can't remember the last time I asked for directions! Today's Word tells us to make sure no one leads us astray! There was a time when we would pull over and ask for directions to a certain location but those days seem to be behind us. We have the technology on our phones and in our vehicles to just say where we want to go and the directions will come up on the screen. But sometimes those directions seem to take us the long way around to get us to our destination. Recently I noticed that my own directions were better than the ones that came up on my screen. In life, when we need direction, we can go to God's Word. It will never lead us down the wrong road but will always take us to Him. Be careful out there as we seek directions for life and make sure we use GPS - God's Provision for Safety! peace, tom
Ephesians 5:15 NASB "So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,"The "Scam Alert" came again! Today's Word is great advice as we do this thing called life! It came across my computer screen, and across my phone that there was a new scam going around. Most things that seem too good to be true are just that, too good to be true. One of the ladies in our church asked me about it and wondered if it was a scam - my reply was YES, it's a scam - don't fall for it. The only thing I know to be true is God's Word. Many years ago, in fact hundreds of years ago, someone wrote that our King would ride into Jerusalem on a young donkey - and it happened. Don't be fooled by the world, get into the Word and find the Truth - it will set us free! peace, tom
Mark 16:15 NASB "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Today's Word shares what we need to do! I had heard the request of my pastor, asking me to invite someone to join us for Sunday Service. I was young in my faith and so when he made the request, my first thought was "not me"! The longer the week went on, the more I thought of his request. I changed my thought from "not me" to "why not me" and began to pray about who to invite. And then it happened, a guy at work asked me what I was doing this weekend... there was my opportunity so I said "I'm going to church, want to join me?!" No sooner did the invite go out when he said "I haven't been to church in years, I'd love to come!" It was that simple! Now it's your turn, who will you invite to church this weekend? peace, t
Luke 13:3 NASB "No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." I had to apologize! Today's verse speaks of repentance, being sorry for our sin! The relationship was fractured due to my fault. I had said somethings in anger and they hurt deeply. It wasn't until I went to them and apologized, did our relationship begin to move forward. There are times in life when we have made the wrong choice, a bad decision and the result is a broken relationship. Not until we humble ourselves and truly apologize, will that relationship ever be restored! There is no time like the present, don't put it off. If we have sinned and know we have sinned, it's time to get things right with God. As we face the final week before Holy Week, may we spend time examining ourselves and repenting before our God. Maybe there's a relationship that's been broken for years, it's time to make things right! Simply call them up and say you're sorry! peace, tom
Psalm 143:10 NASBB "Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.""That's not what I asked you to do!" Today we read about asking God to teach us and lead us! No sooner did I finish what I thought was a good job, when the boss came and said that it wasn't what he asked me to do. In my rush to try to impress him, I did all sorts of jobs around the shop but none of them were what he asked me to do. I apologized for what I did and asked him to show me exactly what he wanted done. Sometimes in life, we jump ahead of what God is asking of us. We keep busy doing this and that, but not what God has asked of us. We need to step back, pray and ask God to teach us what His Will is and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us in doing the right thing. By humbling ourselves and admitting we need help, we will get the job done right! Don't be afraid to ask God for His Wisdom! peace, tom
Ephesians 4:11 NASB "And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,"It was like a beehive of activity! Today's verse shares how Jesus gave the church many different positions to be filled! I have had the unique opportunity to be part of a well oiled machine. Building a new house meant many different tradesman were working at the same time. The roofers were on the roof, the HVAC were in the basement, the plumbers and electricians were all over the structure. Like a well oiled machine, things were getting done. It should be that way in our churches today as well. People, stepping into their calling and working as one team to reach those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. The question for today is what role do we hold in your local church? And are we bringing God the glory in how we are working at it?! peace, tom
2 Corinthians 5:20a NASB "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us""Aren't you Jim's son?!" Today we read that we are ambassadors for Christ! He walked over to me and asked if I was Jim's son, my reply was yes, he was my father. As we talked, I remember thinking to myself that I was an ambassador for my family. I was to carry on the traditions, teachings, lessons of life my mom and dad taught me. I was the witness of how they lived and when people saw me, they saw my family. That's how it is when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are part of His Family now and need to be His Witnesses, His Ambassadors to the world. The key is... what are we representing?! peace, tom
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."He was clearly having some self control issues! Today we read that God has given us the power, love and self control through the Holy Spirit! When we arrived on scene of a domestic argument, the wife and children were huddled together while the husband/father was clearly not making sense. As we calmly spoke to him, he began to calm down. We took him outside, while others took care of the family. The sad reality is that sometimes people make some seriously bad decisions. His was the alcohol and pills were a bad combination causing him to lose his self control. When we recognize that our decisions, attitude and actions don't line up with God's Word, it's time to ask for help. We don't have to go it alone, call for help - it's a prayer away! peace, tom
Philippians 3:13 NASB "Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,"If I had focused on the first three attempts, I would have given up! Today's Word is about forgetting our mistakes and reaching forward. May first three attempts at learning how to build it were a disaster. Each time I tried to weld the pieces in place, they would not hold. I went to the grinder and began to clean each piece, then attempted to weld them together again. If I had focused on my failed attempts, I never would have gotten the project done. We need to focus on what lies ahead instead of listening to the world say we can't! When we fail, we need to learn the lesson and get up and do it differently and it will get done! Don't give up, don't give in but learn from our mistakes and start anew! peace, tom
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Tom SEmberAuthor of Daily Devotions Archives
April 2026
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